Group 3 (1951 - 1955)

In 1951 the National Film Finance Corporation (NFFC) produced a report that,
among its proposals, suggested helping new film makers. New units were to be set
up in Rank and Associated British to bring forward new talent, and a third
independent unit was to be established: Group 3.

Two well-established talents were enlisted to run the organisation:
documentarist John Grierson and producer/director John Baxter. Both had a
reputation for bringing on new talent and for developing distinctive bodies
of work outside the main studios. They were to produce films on moderate budgets
funded by NFFC and Associated British's distribution arm which would also put in
some money and handle the films.

During the course of its short history Group 3 produced over twenty films and
a loss of nearly half a million pounds. Distribution was the main problem.
Getting the films into the cinemas proved difficult. None of the films were
obvious hits, even on paper, with the exception of The Conquest of Everest which
contained footage of the great climb and which turned a healthy profit.

Behind the distribution problem there was another issue: quality. Many of the
films don't stand up to scrutiny. Narrative drive was never John Baxter's strong
suit and Grierson was uncomfortable outside the area of documentary. Group 3 was
started in a rush and some of the scripts show evidence of this. On top of this
there was a big whiff of the old-fashioned about the films just as older
audiences were about to abandon the cinema in favour of a night in with the
telly.

Another area of criticism was the inability of Group 3 to bring on new
talent. New directors needed to be already working in the industry thanks to
trade union pressure so Group 3 generally looked to employ people who might well
have been on the verge of getting a directing break with one of the main
studios.

Looking back on Group 3's achievements there are some minor pleasures. The
company made no classics but some of the films are watchable. Despite the
problems, the likes of John Guillermain, Lewis Gilbert, Joan Collins and Peter
Sellers got early chances with the company.